Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio Team Up For the Latest Martin Scorsese Project—A TV Commercial

You’d be surprised by how many beloved directors earn a little extra cash anonymously directing commercials, but when you hire the great Martin Scorsese to help sell your lavish new casino in Manilla Bay, Philippines, you end up with a full fledged Scorsese Picture. Which means that this is one of the most energetic and stylish advertisements you’ll see this year … and that it stars Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Yes, this commercial for the City of Dreams Manilla casino stars Scorsese’s current and former muses, making this a grand event that cinephiles have been waiting a long time to see. It’s just a shame that these two finally get to face off in a glorified ad and not an actual movie.

Still, this is a cute and fun project that actually showcases both actors quite well. The full, short film version of the ad will arrive soon, but these two brief teases set up a pretty fun concept. Both DiCaprio and De Niro arrive at this (Wonderful! Sexy! Amazing! Come Here Now!) casino at the behest of Scorsese, who informs them that they’re both up for the same part in his next movie. A lot of angry staring from two of cinema’s greatest angry starers ensues!

With a reported budget of over $70 million (with both stars taking home $13 million each!), this short film/commercial has got to be one of the most indulgent things we will see in 2015. And yet these snippets at showcase that money being well spent. The scenes we do see are exceptionally well done and DiCaprio and De Niro are actually not phoning this in. While we can’t forget that this is a commercial (and we certainly can’t blame these guys for turning down a big fat paycheck), we can at least have a little fun by watching this triumvirate of awesome goofing off in a fancy casino. Heck, it will probably be better than a lot of movies released this year.